Church of Notre-Dame du Verguier dans l'Aisne

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Origin and history

The church Notre-Dame du Verguier is located in the commune of the same name, in the department of Aisne, in the region Hauts-de-France. This rural village, marked by a dominant agricultural occupation (92.9% of arable land in 2018), has seen its history deeply affected by the conflicts of the twentieth century. The religious building, like the whole village, was completely razed in March 1917 by German troops when they withdrew towards the Hindenburg Line, as part of a burnt-earth strategy to deprive the Allies of any potential shelter.

During the First World War, Le Verguier was under German occupation from 1914 to 1917, during which time the local population was subjected to forced requisitions (wheat, eggs, meat) and compulsory labour, under penalty of severe punishment, including imprisonment or beatings of sticks. In February 1917, the inhabitants were deported in cattle wagons to Saint-Quentin and Belgium, before the village was systematically dynamized: church, town hall, schools and houses were reduced to ruins. Released on 31 March 1917 by the British after fierce fighting, the site remained a field of ruins until the Armistice.

The reconstruction of the Verguier lasted more than a decade, with a partial return of the inhabitants (from 600 pre-war to 300 in 1921). The Church of Our Lady, symbol of the community, was rebuilt among public buildings, while the village received the War Cross 1914-1918 in 1920 for the suffering endured. The Memorial to the Dead, erected in 1921, honours the nine fallen local soldiers and one civilian, witness to the loss of life.

Prior to its destruction, the village was served by a railway stop (1880-1956) on the Velu-Bertincourt – Saint-Quentin line, crucial for the movement and transport of beets to local industries. This infrastructure, like the church, illustrates the link between heritage and traditional economic activities (agriculture, sugar beet), which has now disappeared. Historical maps, such as that of Cassini (18th century), show a stable occupation of soil until the upheavals of the 20th century.

Today, Le Verguier remains a rural commune with scattered habitat, integrated into the attraction area of Saint Quentin. Its church, rebuilt after 1918, embodies the memory of the destruction of the Great War and the resilience of the Hauts-de-France, a region marked by conflicts and reconstructions. The site does not retain any architectural traces prior to 1917, but its history is documented by military archives and local narratives, such as those of the kommandantur of Holnon.

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